Copyright Recreating a song, is it legal?

[UlrichRaab]

Hi all,

I'm wondering if it is legal if one would recreate a song and sell it. What I mean by recreating is, not using any samples, but recreating all the sounds.

For example, the song "Vangelis - Conquest Of Paradise".

Say I was about to do a dance version of it and play all the notes on my synths myself. Same chords and perhaps a few minor changes in the note progression.
I'd sign it to a label and it gets released. Would I be getting into trouble? What would a legal song title look like? "MyArtistName - Conquest Of Another Paradise" ?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Betty3]

This is mainly a US law forum but someone may come along who can answer your questions. If not, you might run it by a "lawyer" in your area.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Yes, you would have a problem if you recreated a song and sold copies without having a proper license. In fact, there are significant issues with MIDI files as well, which do exactly what you describe. Here is a great frequently asked questions article by ASCAP about whether you need a music license.

 

[Betty3]

Thank you, thelawprofessor. I wasn't sure exactly how to answer that post.